The 18 questions to ask a mover before you sign anything

The first category of questions establishes whether the company is legally authorized to handle your move. For interstate moves, this is a federal question. For intrastate moves, it is a state question. The answers are verifiable in under two minutes before the conversation ends.

Question 1: What is your USDOT number?

Any company claiming to handle interstate moves must have a USDOT number and active operating authority for household goods, verified at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Ask for the number before the call ends and look it up yourself. The SAFER record tells you the operating authority status (active or inactive), the number of power units and drivers reported, and how long the company has been registered. A company that hesitates to provide a USDOT number, or provides one that does not match the company name you called, has identified itself as a problem before you have spent a dollar.

Question 2: Are you a carrier or a broker?

Under 49 CFR 371, moving brokers are required to disclose broker status in writing and to provide the name and USDOT number of the actual carrier before your pickup date. Many operations that market themselves as movers are actually brokers — they sign the contract with the consumer and dispatch the move to whichever carrier has capacity that day. This is legal when disclosed. It is a problem when it is not disclosed, because the broker is not in the chain of custody for your goods and damage claims become harder to resolve when the responsible party is a carrier the consumer has never interacted with.

Question 3: If you are a broker, who is the actual carrier and what is their USDOT number?

A broker who refuses to name the carrier before pickup, or who hedges on this question, is violating 49 CFR 371. The carrier name and USDOT are not optional disclosures — they are legally required before the pickup date. Once you have the carrier name, run the eight-check vetting process on the actual carrier independently of the broker's assurances.

Question 4: Are you licensed for intrastate moves in my state?

For moves that begin and end in the same state, federal authority is not the relevant credential. State licensing requirements vary: California (CPUC MTR-1), Texas (TxDMV), New York (NY DOT), Florida (DACS), and Illinois (ICC) all maintain licensing databases that are publicly searchable. Ask which state authority applies to your move and verify the license status independently.

The estimate process is where most consumer disputes originate. The questions in this category establish whether the mover is committed to an accurate estimate or is using the estimate as an entry point for an upward revision at delivery.

Question 5: Will you provide a written estimate based on an in-home or virtual walkthrough?

Federal law (49 CFR Part 375) requires interstate carriers to base written estimates on a physical or virtual survey of the goods to be moved. A company willing to give you a binding price over the phone in five minutes — without asking detailed questions about your inventory — is either guessing or positioning for a price adjustment on moving day. Insist on a walkthrough. A refusal to provide one is itself a data point about how the company operates.

Question 6: Is this estimate binding, non-binding, or binding not-to-exceed?

These are three materially different products under FMCSA regulation, and the distinction matters if actual weight differs from estimated weight. A binding estimate locks the price at the surveyed inventory regardless of actual weight. A non-binding estimate is a projection; the final bill is based on certified actual weight with the 110% rule protection (the carrier may collect up to 110% of the non-binding estimate at delivery; any amount above 110% is invoiced and payable within 30 days, and the carrier must release your goods on payment of the 110% portion under 49 CFR 375.405). A binding not-to-exceed estimate locks the ceiling but bills at actual weight if it comes in lower.

Ask for the specific type in writing on the estimate document. "Binding" written at the top of a form that also contains per-pound rate language is not actually binding — the format and the label must match.

Question 7: What happens if my actual inventory exceeds the estimate?

The answer to this question distinguishes a mover with a disciplined estimate process from one who uses low initial estimates to win business and adjusts at pickup. On a binding estimate, the answer should be that additional items agreed on the amended bill of lading are priced at the rate in the estimate, and the binding total is adjusted upward only for documented additions. On a non-binding estimate, the answer should reference the 110% rule and the weight-ticket process. Any answer that references a number materially different from the estimate without explaining the legal mechanism is worth pressing on.

The headline quote rarely equals the final bill. The questions in this category surface the line items that move between estimate and invoice in the majority of consumer disputes.

Question 8: What are your accessorial charges, and are they included in this estimate?

Accessorial charges are fees for services beyond the basic linehaul: long carries (beyond 75-100 feet from the truck to the door), stair carries above the first flight, elevator use fees, shuttle service if the truck cannot reach the residence, piano or specialty-item handling, disassembly and reassembly, and packing materials if the mover packs. Many estimates present a clean headline number and attach accessorials as a separate rate schedule. Ask which accessorials apply to your specific move and confirm they are included in the estimate total — or confirmed as not applicable to your addresses.

Question 9: What is your fuel surcharge and how is it calculated?

Fuel surcharges on interstate moves are tied to published diesel indexes and change week to week. Ask whether the surcharge is included in the estimate as a fixed line item or calculated at the time of pickup. If it is calculated at pickup, ask what the current rate is and what the upper bound would be under a spike scenario. A company that cannot explain its fuel surcharge calculation is a company with a discretionary line item in your final bill.

Question 10: Do you charge a deposit, and what is the amount and refund policy?

Reputable carriers typically collect no more than 20-25% as a deposit, and many collect nothing until delivery per FMCSA consumer guidance at fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move. A company demanding 50% or more upfront — especially in cash — is exhibiting one of the documented warning signs in FMCSA enforcement actions. Ask whether the deposit is refundable if you cancel and within what window. Ask whether payment is accepted by credit card, which preserves chargeback rights that cash removes entirely.

Federal law requires interstate carriers to offer two valuation options. The questions in this category confirm which option applies to your move and whether the mover's staff understands the distinction.

Question 11: What valuation options do you offer, and what does full-value protection cover?

Released-rate liability is the federal default at 60 cents per pound per item — included at no charge, but functionally meaningless for electronics, antiques, or anything with high value-per-pound (a 12-pound laptop returns $7.20 at released rate). Full-value protection (FVP) raises carrier liability to repair, replace, or reimburse current market value for damaged or lost items, at a cost that typically runs 1-3% of declared shipment value. FVP requires a written election and a declared shipment value before the move.

Ask the mover to explain the difference between the two options without prompting. A mover whose staff cannot explain the $0.60-per-pound floor and how FVP differs is a mover who has not trained its team on the federal disclosure requirements it is legally required to fulfill.

Question 12: What is excluded from your full-value protection coverage?

FVP is not unlimited. The major exclusions under federal regulation and standard carrier tariffs: items of extraordinary value over $100 per pound (jewelry, art, antiques, currency, fine collectibles) unless separately declared on a high-value inventory under 49 CFR 375.211(b); contents of owner-packed boxes (PBO on the inventory) where there is no external box damage; and perishables, plants, and hazardous materials. Ask the mover to identify any exclusions specific to its FVP rider before you elect the coverage level.

The bill of lading is the legal contract for your move. The questions in this category address the document terms that most commonly surface in post-move disputes.

Question 13: What documents will I receive at pickup, and can I see a sample bill of lading before moving day?

Under 49 CFR Part 375, interstate carriers must provide at pickup: the written estimate (if not provided earlier), the order for service, the bill of lading, and the inventory. The bill of lading must include pickup and delivery addresses, the agreed price or rate basis, the delivery window, the inventory, and the elected valuation level. Asking to see a sample bill of lading before moving day gives you the chance to review the format without time pressure and identify any blank-field conventions or ambiguous language before you are standing in a hallway with a crew waiting.

Question 14: What is the delivery window, and is it guaranteed?

Interstate carriers price consolidated moves on shared trucks, meaning your shipment shares space with others headed the same direction. Delivery is a window, not a date — typically 2-21 days from pickup depending on distance, season, and carrier capacity per BTS interstate-move data. The window must appear on the bill of lading. Ask whether there is a guaranteed delivery option and what it costs, and ask what compensation applies if the window is missed. A carrier that cannot explain its missed-delivery remedy process has not thought through its customer-service obligations past the point of pickup.

Question 15: What is your subcontracting policy?

Some carriers subcontract portions of a move — particularly the long-haul transport — to partner carriers. This is legal and common among van lines that operate through agent networks. The issue is transparency: if the company packing and loading your home is not the same company that will unload and deliver your goods, you should know that before pickup so you can confirm the subcontractor's credentials separately. Ask whether any portion of your move will be handled by a company other than the one you are contracting with, and if so, who.

Moving damage happens even with excellent carriers. The questions in this category reveal how the company handles the part of the relationship that comes after delivery.

Question 16: What is your claims process for damaged or lost items?

The federal claims timeline under 49 CFR 370 gives consumers 9 months from delivery to file a written damage or loss claim with the carrier. The carrier has 30 days to acknowledge the claim in writing and 120 days to pay, deny, or make a settlement offer. Ask the mover: who do I contact if I find damage at delivery? What documentation do you require? How long does it typically take to resolve a claim? A mover whose staff can answer these questions fluently has a claims process. A mover who responds with "we don't really get damage" or cannot describe the process has not prepared for it.

Question 17: How many complaints have you received in the past 12 months, and how were they resolved?

This question is intentionally direct. Most legitimate carriers will not know the exact number off the top of their head, but the response is informative: a mover who offers to help you check the FMCSA complaint database and the BBB profile is demonstrating transparency. A mover who deflects, claims "we never have problems," or becomes defensive is demonstrating a different disposition. You can check the National Consumer Complaint Database at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov and the BBB at bbb.org independently, and you should — but the mover's response to the question is itself a data point.

Question 18: What is your arbitration or dispute resolution process?

The FMCSA maintains a list of approved arbitration programs for interstate household-goods disputes. Carriers are required to offer arbitration for loss or damage claims and may extend it to other disputes at their option per 49 CFR 375.211. Ask whether the carrier participates in an FMCSA-approved arbitration program and what the process is if a claim is denied and you disagree with the denial. A carrier that cannot answer this question is a carrier that has not disclosed this right to you as required.

The questions above produce two categories of output: factual answers you can verify and behavioral signals that reveal operating posture.

Factual answers you verify independently: the USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov, the complaint history at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov, the BBB profile, the state licensing status where applicable. These facts are binary — either the carrier has active authority or it does not, either the USDOT matches the company name or it does not. The carrier's verbal answer to these questions is a starting point, not the verification.

Behavioral signals you read at the moment: the carrier's willingness to discuss broker disclosure, its ability to explain the valuation options, its fluency with the claims process, its posture toward your questions in general. A mover who is visibly impatient with due-diligence questions — who wants to close the sale and move on — is signaling that your questions are inconvenient to its process. A mover whose staff can walk through valuation options, claims timelines, and contract terms without consulting notes has done the training and built the systems.

The goal of the 18 questions is not to disqualify every mover who cannot answer one question perfectly. It is to surface the pattern: a carrier with clean federal registration, a reasonable complaint history, a written estimate based on an actual walkthrough, and a staff that can explain its own contract and coverage is a carrier operating inside the regulated industry. A carrier with incomplete answers across multiple questions is a carrier worth removing from your shortlist before you have handed over a deposit.